VFK Jupiter Quest
Description Welcome to The VFK Jupiter Quest! Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the largest planet in the solar system. Its diameter is more than eleven times greater than Earth's and one tenth of the sun's. To fill up the same volume of space as the huge planet, it would take over a thousand Earths. You can see Jupiter in the night sky appearing brighter than most of the stars. After Venus, it is the second brightest planet. The planet's moons have been the focus of study for possible colonization. For our quest today, we will look at Jupiter and its intriguing moons and satellites. Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and a Space Sheep! Prizes Questions 1. Ancient astronomers named the "king of the planets" after Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. What we know about this giant ball of gas and liquid comes from centuries of viewing the planet through telescopes based on Earth. It also is derived from telescopes orbiting the Earth as well as from six crewless exploratory space probes sent to Jupiter. The planet does not appear to have a solid surface, but instead is comprised of dense brown, red, yellow and white clouds. The clouds appear in a configuration of light colored rings called zones and the dark colored rings called belts which circle the planet parallel to the equator. What is the most distinctive feature on the surface of Jupiter? * Jupiter's moons * Radio Waves from the core * Three Large Impact Craters * The Great Red Spot 2. People who watch the moon regularly, advise that you should start learning about the moon by viewing it just with your unaided eyes. Even though using a telescope is fun, try first to familiarize yourself with the major features of the moon. You can then use binoculars or a telescope to view the surface of the Moon. The best time to view the moon is when the moon is at or just past the First Quarter, or right at or just past the Last Quarter phase. When the moon is full it is considered the worst time to view it as it is too bright, and very flat and one-dimensional in appearance. Go to outside the Zoo in Australia and say "There is a full Moon tonight!" 3. The best place to look at the Moon is on the line where the light and the shadow meet. For about a week at the First Quarter and the Last Quarter, the sun strikes the Moon's surface at a very steep angle and displays the craters in sharp relief. At that time, the features of the Moon are very distinct. What is this sunrise-sunset line called? * The Terminator * The Demarcation * The Lunar Horizon * Crescent Divider 4. One of the most amazing things about the moon is that it always shows us the same side. Since the Earth and the Moon are both orbiting and rotating, we should see the other side at some point, right? Well, the Earth's gravity has slowed the Moon's rotation to the point that it matches the time it takes the Moon to go around the Earth. This is similar to the behavior displayed by Moons for other planets. The way a Moon phase works is that as the Moon goes around the Earth, it goes between the Earth and the sun. The lighted side is facing away from us during this period and the side facing us is in shadow. This is called the new Moon. There really isn't a dark side of the Moon, just the other side that we never see. Go to the dark forest in the Audubon's Wildlife Adventure game and say "I want to see the other side of the Moon." 5. When you look at the Moon with just your eyes, you see an illuminated disk with dark spots. The light and the dark are two kinds of rock. The lighter rock is the Moon's crust, the darker rock is lava from volcanos. Scientists believe that when asteroids impacted the lunar surface long ago, they triggered volcanic eruptions on the surface. The magma spread out over the surface and formed dark patches called "lunar maria" or "lunar seas." Some Ancient people thought that the dark spots were cities. During a full Moon, the dark patches form what appears to be a grinning face. What is this face called? * Galileo's Men * Jack O'Lunar * The Lunar Prospector * The Man in the Moon 6. To form the Man in the Moon's face, the eyes are formed by the Mare Imbrium and the Mare Serenitatis. The nose is made by the Sinus Aestruum, and the Man's grinning mouth is formed by the Mare Nubium and the Mare Cognitum. Go to the inside of the sheriff's office in the Wild West and say "Moon madness!" 7. The early surveys by the Apollo Missions discovered that the Moon was not an exact sphere, but in fact had bulges. On the Earth facing side of the moon, there is a bulge, and also on the far side. The current hypotheses for the presence of the bulges are that the Earth's gravity pulled the Moon out of shape, or that the impact of asteroids caused the shock waves of the impact to travel through the center of the Moon, and created the bulge on the far side. The color of the moon, which is visible through a telescope or binoculars, was exactly described by the Apollo astronauts. What is the color of the moon? * Greenish-blue * Grayish-tan * Yellowish-white * Purplish-brown 8. The face of the moon shows the battering it has endured from other objects in space striking it with impact forces far greater than the largest atomic bombs. Evidence on earth shows that our planet shows similar scarring, however, on the surface, the evidence is now gone. The reason for this is due to wind, water and sand erosion. The surface of the earth is constantly being smoothed and molded by erosional forces which the moon lacks. Go to the Victorian Park and say "So, when are we going back to the Moon?" 9. NASA has been exploring the potential of establishing an outpost on the moon by the year 2018. They are considering locating the base at the south pole of the Moon for a number of reasons. One spot they have selected is the rim of the Shackleton Crater, a feature 12 miles across. Some areas in that region are in near continual sunlight. Also it is on the edge of the dark margin of the moon. What have they been hoping to discover on the super-cold dark part of the moon? * Water ice * Gold * Uranium * Cometary volatiles 10. The environment at the poles of the Moon provides five strong arguments for choosing this location. First, the poles have plenty of sunlight for solar power which reduces the need for long term energy storage. Also the temperature at the poles is more temperate. The temperature varies less than about 120 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Whereas equatorial temperatures can vary by nearly 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, they have evidence that enhanced hydrogen may be available as an energy generation resource. The polar regions are relatively unexplored and little is known about them, so it will be a good place to learn more about the regions. Finally, landing equipment near the south pole would require less propellant and be more affordable. Go to the lobby of the Fireworks game and say "I think I see the Man in the Moon!" Answers 1. The Great Red Spot 2. Go to outside the Zoo Entrance and say "There is a full Moon tonight!" 3. The Terminator 4. Go to Dark Forest and say "I want to see the other side of the Moon." 5. The Man in the Moon 6. Go to U.S. Marshalls and say "Moon madness!" 7. Grayish-tan 8. Go Summer Park and say "So, when are we going back to the Moon?" 9. Water ice 10. Go to 4th of July Fireworks Game and say "I think I see the Man in the Moon!" Category:Quests